Puppies and Bicycles

Have I told you about the dog around the corner?  No?  Well, around the corner from my apartment is a furniture restoration shop.  Most days when I walk by and its open there is this little white and brown dog sitting out front with some of the furniture, no leash, no lead tying him down, just a cute little Jack Russell sitting there and watching the comings and goings of the neighborhood.  I've sat and watched him on a number of occasions and am always entranced at how well behaved he is.  For the most part he just sits there in front of the shop but sometimes he will get up and greet some of the neighbors or say hello to other dogs out for a walk with their owners.  But he always returns to his seat in front of the shop. 

This morning when I went out to get my coffee I was attacked by four other puppies.  They live up the street from me and often hang out in their dad's hair salon sitting in front of the large glass doors watching the world pass.  But today, they were outside with dad while he smoked.  They came up to me, their little tails a wagging, just asking to be petted so of course I obliged them.  That's when they attacked and I suddenly found myself being smothered in puppy kisses.

One day I passed by the shop and the four little guys were hunkered down in their bed at the back of the shop looking a little sad and dejected.  I peered in further and could see why...dad was in the back of the shop cleaning up what once was a nice pillow that the four little darlings must have decided made an excellent chew toy.  There was stuffing all over and you could just see the frustration in dad's posture.  But I'm sure he didn't stay mad for too long.  I mean, really, how can you be angry with that face?

One of my themes in my photography class is bicycles.  There are scores and scores of bicycles around this town but most of them are tied up and seldom used.  It's easy to understand; I cannot imagine riding a bike on these streets.  It's not the traffic that would bother me, it's all those San Pietrini-the large, square, and very uneven cobblestones that serve as pavement all over Rome.  I'm certain these things wreak havoc with the bicycles that do actually maneuver around town and I'm equally certain that their riders' brains must be a jumbled mess from all the bouncing around.  So, anyway, I'm taking pictures of bicycles, mostly abandoned ones, at rest.  

I came across one bicycle in the midst of a slew of others all chained up to a bicycle rack near my apartment...actually it is directly across the piazza from the above mentioned furniture restoration shop.  What I immediately loved about the bicycle was the patina the paint had achieved from its constant exposure to the elements.  Upon closer inspection, I saw the seat-or rather what's left of it, the rusted springs just screaming out for oil.  There were leaves and twigs and branches tangled up in the spokes of the tires, a testament to its abandoned condition.  But I had to laugh as, upon closer inspection, I noticed the chain securing this old, sad, tired contraption looked brand spanking new.  

I laughed much harder three days later as I walked by this group of bicycles again.  I looked once more upon my find and noticed that someone had stolen the seat.  Yes, that seat.  The one with no padding and no leather cover.  The one that looked like a good gust of wind would render it into dust.  That someone found that seat so appealing they had to take it struck me as quite hilarious.  Two more days passed and again I walked by the bike rack.  No, the bike had not moved, I hardly expected that.  But the seat had been returned and reattached, albeit at a strange angle, the front of the seat pointing to the left pedal.  Don't you wish sometimes that objects could talk and tell you their stories?  What adventures has this bicycle seen and where did the seat go on its, possibly forced, vacation?  Hmm...things to ponder.